What I Left Behind
Toronto, Ontario
It's strange! In devotional life it's such a different world from the secular one. Within the context of temple life, we speak about increasing our endeavors of bhakti, devotion. Either that, or you speak about intensifying what you are already doing, such as improving heartfelt chanting. Then you hear how important it is (from the outside) how sex must be increased or Tim Horton's chain restaurant comes up with a larger cup, hence enhanced caffeine intake.
There's clearly two worlds. The emphasis is different. The gap is large.
As soon as I step out of the temple building, I might hear coarse language that is unacceptable to the ears. Life in the temple ashram is not perfect but much closer to the spiritual world, for sure. As soon as I track myself down those concrete stairways I enter into the mixed world of beautiful nature and nasty nature. I also make the entrance into what man has created; not all good.
The general populace is innocent and they want more out of life. Spiritual life can fill a vacuum beyond Churchianity, beyond dogmatic endeavors. If only they would try, if only they would make some room for a small dosage of higher conscious activity and relax in the pursuit of the Divine. It's adventurous. It's pleasurable. Susukham in Sanskrit means "joyful." Kartum means "execution." These are words from the Gita.
The evening wind was turbulent, as is the world in its mundane manifestation. It actually deterred me from a night-time stroll and so I vied for the protectiveness and sanctity of the temple and paced the balcony in its horseshoe shape. I went for a good hour and a half, every so now and then stopping to peak out to the world of harshness, the world that doesn't need to be so, the world I left behind.
6 Km
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